Morsi may agree to delay vote

EGYPTIAN President Mohammed Morsi has raised the possibility of delaying a constitutional referendum set for December 15 after tens of thousands of Egyptians protested outside the presidential palace.

Vice-President Mahmoud Mekki said Dr Morsi was willing to delay the referendum subject to conditions, including that the opposition agreed to talks and would not go to the courts seeking further delay.

Dr Morsi has also postponed the start of early voting on the constitution, signalling an attempt by his government to back down and give room for negotiations.

Opposition protesters streamed in separate marches towards the palace on Friday, breaking through barbed wire barricades to reach its walls, shouting, ''Leave, leave'', even though Dr Morsi does not live in the building.

At the same time, thousands of pro-government Islamists attended the funeral of two men killed in clashes on Wednesday outside the palace.

The announcement on Friday that early voting would be postponed until December 12 came a day after Dr Morsi appealed for dialogue. He has so far made no concrete concessions to defuse the crisis.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Friday said the constitution included ''very worrying omissions and ambiguities'' that could mean it would be weaker than the 1971 constitution which it was to replace. BLOOMBERG

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